


Turtle Trouble

by reliquiaen



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 19:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4889626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reliquiaen/pseuds/reliquiaen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: “i found a turtle in my house and now i feel like its my responsibility to care for it and you are a pet store worker who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and i need your help to take care of timmy yes its name is timmy the turtle”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turtle Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xairathan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xairathan/gifts).



> Still haven't watched NGE and I've never had a pet turtle. I asked the internet.

Normally – and Yui was pretty good at keeping her life something easily termed normal – _normally_ , she could come home to her apartment in the afternoon and slip her shoes off at the door, drop her bag on the kitchen counter and relax on the sofa with a book before she had to start dinner. And to be fair, she did make it through most of this routine before something _abnormal_ happened. In fact, she was just about to rinse off some vegetables to prepare dinner when her entire system was thrown into disarray.

Sitting just under the tap in the bottom of the sink sat a little turtle. At first, Yui was entirely uncertain that she was even seeing it right. She twisted the tap on vaguely, still watching the reptile carefully and when the water pattered onto its shell it moved.

Okay, so it was very much a live turtle sitting in her sink.

What can she do with a real live turtle?

Its little legs paddled around in the water pooling around the plughole. Slowly, Yui placed the vegetables by the sink and turned to the fridge, pulling lettuce out of the crisper. Turtles eat lettuce right? Of course they do. Tentatively, its little head stretched out to snap some from between her fingers and chew on it.

Right, so a turtle.

Yui stuck a plug in the sink and let it fill. Only once it was full she realised the turtle was more or less stuck there. It couldn’t get out and it had nowhere to just… sit. Hmm. She mused on that a moment, then looked back down at the turtle.

“Well… will you be alright there for a moment, Timmy?” she wondered, considering the sanity of talking to a turtle. It was probably fine. The reptile simply blinked at her, still munching on the lettuce. And she could hardly be expected to continue thinking of it as simply ‘ _turtle_ ’ could she? How ridiculous. She had to call it something.

Figuring that was some sort of blessing, she headed down the hall to the bathroom. Throwing the cupboard doors open she began to rummage around in the back. She was moderately certain that she still had some of those old fish tank decorations from when Naoko had been into that sort of thing. Why she’d kept them was anyone’s guess. The fish – and their tank – were long gone.

But yes! Yui made a satisfied sound as she pulled free the rock. It wasn’t a fancy decoration with a ship trapped in it or in the shape of a skull or anything like that, just a rock, broad and flat topped. It would serve the purpose she intended however so that was all that mattered.

Not until after she’d settled the rock into the sink so the top was free of the water did she realise how altogether inconvenient it would be now to do dinner. Her eyes settled on the vegetables still sitting by the sink and then slid back to Timmy. She could rinse the vegetables in the downstairs laundry, she supposed, but cleaning the dishes would be more difficult. Unless she showered with them…

Grumbling, she ordered take out.

In the morning she’d have to get this turtle thing sorted out. Thankfully it was a day where she had neither lectures to attend or lab work to monitor. And with any sort of luck, she’d reclaim her sink.

 

* * *

 

Yui had always been organised and punctual – early to appointments and functions if possible – but perhaps in this instance it would’ve been better _not_ to turn up outside her local pet store fifteen minutes before opening. Standing outside the doors with a box containing the turtle wasn’t particularly interesting, in all honesty. And people watching only got her so far.

She turned her attention back on the box, flipping the lid open so she could see the turtle. It shuffled around a little, but that was all. Really, it (he?) didn’t seem all that bothered to be trapped in a little cardboard box.

“Sorry,” she muttered to him anyway. “Better to get here before it’s busy, though, Tim,” Yui explained. “Maybe these nice people can tell me how to look after you. Or where you come from.” Yes, so she was talking to a turtle again. At least it gave her something to do while she waited.

At eight-fifty, a silhouette shifted in the back of the store. Lights flickered on and a bell tinkled somewhere right before a chorus of birds began to sing. She looked down at Timmy again.

He remained unperturbed in his little box world, staring blankly at one side. She sighed. “Must be feeding time before opening.”

Right on nine o’clock – and once the racket inside had quieted down somewhat – a woman appeared in the glass front door. She eyed Yui sort of strangely before flipping the sign over to display ‘OPEN’ and unlock the door. Obviously having noted the box in Yui’s arm, she swung the door open and held it for her.

“Thank you,” Yui murmured. “Good morning.”

“I suppose it is,” the woman replied, smiling. She wore a little name badge that read ‘Kyoko’. “Little early for me, but that’s fine. What can I do for you?”

Yui felt her brow crease slightly. “Uh, do you know anything about reptiles?”

Kyoko shook her head. “Not me, sorry. I get to look after the actually cute animals. Cats, dogs, birds…” She lifted a finger and pointed across the store. “You want info on the cold-blooded you should talk to Mari.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Kyoko simply flashed a parting smile and wandered off.

Slowly, so as not to bump into anything on the racks, Yui made her way in the direction Kyoko had pointed. Another woman, probably not much younger than Yui, was crouched in front of a long glass fish tank, sorting through bottles of feed. In the tank, several large and tropical looking fish swam about, given how they circled the corner by her head, it was clear they knew what time of day it was.

Eventually, the woman straightened and brushed a handful of coloured flakes off her palm into the water. The fish darted up through the water to the surface, gulping at the food flakes until they were gone. One, fatter, fish was very obviously better at this and it swam in lazy circles around the others then. Yui couldn’t help but think it looked smug and self-satisfied.

“Hello,” Yui began softly, stepping closer. The woman looked around, somewhat startled. “Your colleague said you might be able to help me out?”

“Uh,” she sang, rubbing her palms down her thighs as if to smooth out imagined wrinkles in the fabric of her pants. “Maybe? I’m Mari, what are you looking for?”

“Oh, well, you see… I found a turtle yesterday and I’m at a bit of a loss for how to take care of them. I was hoping perhaps you’d be able to tell me.”

An expression of what Yui could only call pure puzzlement flashed across Mari’s face. “You… _found_ a turtle?”

“Yes.” She tilted her box slightly so Mari could see inside. “He was in my sink.”

“As in… your home?” she asked. “He was in your home?”

“Correct.”

“And he’s not yours?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he came from?”

“Haven’t got a clue.” Yui paused, sucking her lower lip between her teeth. “Although… my apartment is on the bottom floor and my kitchen window looks out at a garden at eye level. Since the building is on a hill, you know? So I suppose he may have crawled in that way and gotten stuck in the sink?”

Mari made a thoughtful noise. “Well it’s probably a wild turtle,” she pointed out. “Maybe just put him back in the garden?”

Somehow, the very suggestion of doing such a thing made her clutch the box closer. “I… I don’t think that would be very nice,” she mumbled. “I’d much prefer if I knew he was safe and well taken care of.”

That time, the look that flashed across Mari’s face was amusement mingled with something else… fondness maybe? Which was silly, but alright. “Am I going to be able to talk you out of adopting a wild turtle?” Mari asked, crouching once more to collect the bottles of fish food.

“Probably not,” Yui admitted. “He’s cute.” She watched as Mari moved onto the next tank. “Will you help me? I’d like for Timmy to not be living in my sink anymore.”

Mari grinned, pushing hair back out of her face and adjusting the pin meant to hold it in place. “You named it Timmy?”

She shrugged. “He needed a name.”

“Cute. Alright, I’ll help.” Mari followed the first word with more so quickly Yui wondered if she hadn’t meant to say it. She dropped the food bottles into a little wicker basket and headed off down the aisle. “Come with me and I’ll get you sorted. I mean, uh… I’ll help you get the stuff. For the turtle. Timmy.” Given the way Mari avoided looking at Yui, it was fairly safe to assume she was blushing for some reason. The thought made Yui smile.

Mari set the basket down on the front desk and opened one of the cupboards underneath. Whatever she was looking for must’ve been elusive. She came back up empty handed. Then she opened the cabinet on the wall behind the desk, continuing her search. That time she returned with a manila folder full of what appeared to be brochures.

Curious, Yui set Timmy’s box on the counter (well away from the edges) and leaned forward to look. One pamphlet read ‘Know What Your Turtle Eats’ and beneath that had a line mentioning that some types of turtles prefer a different diet to the most commonly assumed one of fruits and vegetables. She picked it up, flipping through the pages, noting a chart with different breeds and their food preferences.

“What type of turtle is Timmy?” she asked, looking up and showing Mari the pamphlet. “I don’t want to feed him the wrong things.”

“Ah,” Mari sighed, shuffling through the papers. “One moment. I’m not sure. Probably a local variety if he just appeared in your… Aha, here we go.” She scanned the information on the booklet, flicking pages until she found the one she wanted, glancing over at Timmy for comparison. “Yeah, looks like he’s a Japanese Pond Turtle. You can probably get away with mostly plant food, but throw in some bugs and worms too. He’d like that.”

Gently, Mari relieved her of the brochure she was still holding and put a big star in red pen next to the breed that most closely resembled Timmy. Then she passed it back and went about picking more paper from the pile. Eventually she put together a tidy little stack and rounded the desk again so she could show Yui.

“Alright, so this one is lighting,” she explained. “I can show you our heat lamps, but this one details how you should use them. This is one on tank hygiene and keeping the filter working properly. Here is a notebook for food and water change cycles. And this one is for handling.” Mari passed them all to Yui and shifted awkwardly on her heels. “Uh, I also wrote down our phone number and an address for a site that’s really good if you have any surprise questions.”

“I could always come back here,” Yui pointed out, smiling. Once again, the skin across Mari’s nose tinted pink.

“Uh,” she cleared her throat. “You absolutely can. But I mean, like, if it’s night and you can’t. Also, I’d recommend, um, going to visit a veterinarian at some point too. Just to make sure he’s healthy, you know?”

Yui’s smile widened gently. “I suppose that’s a good point. Do you think I could ask you to come with me? I wouldn’t know the first thing to ask a vet about turtle welfare.”

The pink – which hadn’t _quite_ faded from Mari’s cheeks – darkened potentially six or seven shades. “Oh, um… Yes, I suppose that’s fine? I work and study though so my timetable’s pretty packed, but if you made an appointment and let me know I guess I could work it in…”

She looked likely to go on so Yui (somewhat mercifully, she thought) interrupted. “Great. If you give me your number, I’ll let you know when I get booked in.”

“Uh yeah, good,” Mari muttered. “That’s good.” She just about dropped Yui’s phone when she handed it over, but managed to get her number entered into the contacts list all the same.

When she handed it back, Yui fired a quick text off. “Now you have my number, too,” she laughed. “So what stuff will I need to look after Timmy in the meantime?”

Mari blinked. “Right,” she exhaled, seeming to return to the current situation from a long way off. “Right. Okay. I hope you have a car. The tank alone takes up quite a bit of space.”

“Yes, it’ll be fine.” Yui scooped Timmy and his box up off the counter before following Mari into a different section of the shop. “We’re going house hunting, Timmy,” she murmured. “With a very pretty real estate agent.”

She knew Mari heard that because she just about knocked everything off the shelf as she turned the corner into a different aisle. Still, other than the faint blush continuing to betray her, Mari remained composed, leading her through the store to point out the things she’d need. Lamps and decorations and platforms for Timmy to rest on. Plus the filter and the tank itself, of course, and some food supplies and a few select cleaners to keep everything running smoothly.

Mari helped her carry everything – most of it carefully arranged within the tank – back to the front of the shop. And she did it with only minor babbling or blushing.

As Yui left the shop, all her turtle caring needs in a trolley, she reminded Mari that she’d call. The way Mari seemed simultaneously thrilled and terrified by this she could only describe as adorable.

 

* * *

 

She’d made a point of texting banal things to Mari after that. Yui figured that maybe it would help steer them towards ‘friends’ territory and then maybe the idea of going to the vet with someone who was basically a complete strange would seem less odd. She did stop by the shop a few times as well, which helped. She got the distinct impression that Mari’s co-worker – Kyoko – wore that Cheshire grin for a reason, but couldn’t put her finger on it.

Either way, she found herself sitting in the waiting room of her local veterinarian two weeks later. Mari, seated beside her, tapped her finger against her thigh; possibly out of impatience and possibly nerves. Yui shifted Timmy’s box (a different one this time, more suited to carrying a turtle around) onto her other side and placed her hand over Mari’s to still her fidgeting.

“Do you want to get lunch after this?” Mari blurted.

Yui blinked. “Yes, well I was going to go home and have lunch, what with Timmy…” She trailed off as they both turned to look at the plastic carrier. “But I suppose he could come with. It’s only lunch, right?”

Again – and Yui had grown accustomed to how easily Mari’s face turned one of many various shades of red – her cheeks coloured. “Well…” Mari hummed; adjusting how her glasses sat across her nose in a manner Yui knew meant she was uncomfortable. “I uh, meant like on a date, actually. But sure, yeah, just lunch is fine. I mean, that’s great. And Timmy can totally come with. I…”

She trailed off when Yui leaned over and kissed her cheek. “A date’s good too,” she muttered. “So long as Timmy’s okay with being the third wheel?”

Thankfully, the air whooshed from Mari’s lungs in a tentative laugh. “Oh, alright. Well good then. I wasn’t sure if you uh…”

“It’s fine, Mari. Really.”

Mari just bobbed her head. She opened her mouth to say something else, but then the receptionist called for them to head inside and they stood. Mari’s teeth clicked shut audibly as she followed Yui.

The vet was an older man who smiled politely when they entered. “So, your booking said you had a turtle, is that right?”

“Yes,” Yui replied quietly, setting the box on the table. “This is Timmy.” Carefully, she lifted him from his place and set him down.

“What are we looking for here?” he asked. Yui looked to Mari.

“Uh, well he’s a wild turtle,” she explained. “We just want to make sure he’s healthy, not infected with anything, that sort of deal.”

“Aha,” the vet sighed, still smiling as he picked Timmy up and turned him over. “A rescue, eh? That’s very good of you. I can run a few tests here if you’d like, but infections or diseases will only come up in a blood test?”

Mari turned to Yui this time. “I’d like to make sure he’s well,” Yui decided. “A blood test would be fine.”

“Alright then. I’ll just go and get my equipment.” As he turned to leave he paused. “Also, Timmy is a girl.”

Yui just laughed, but Mari looked downright affronted.

 

* * *

 

A little over a month later, the blood results arrived in Yui’s mailbox. She pried the flap open with her thumbnail as she wandered up the stairs towards her apartment. Truthfully, Yui was no expert on blood results (not _technically_ ) so what she was reading made very little sense to her. But she figured it’d be easy enough to figure it out.

Or she could call Mari and ask her to come over. Which was altogether a much better idea.

“Hey, Yui,” Mari replied after only two rings. “What’s up?”

“Timmy’s blood results are back.”

“Oh great, how do they look?”

She hummed. “Well I’m not one hundred percent sure, I’ll be honest. Any chance you can come over and decipher them for me?”

There was a momentary pause. Then Mari all but drawled, “Yui, you have like three PhDs in various aspects of biology. I’m sure you know better than me what they say.” Another pause, a little more thoughtful, she imagined. “I’m on my way.”

She laughed, but Mari had already hung up.

Sure enough, ten minutes later Mari was knocking on her front door. She grinned when Yui opened the door, mouth already open – probably to ask after the results. But her face fell not a second later, a frown replacing the smile.

“Uh, Yui,” she began slowly as she entered. “Did you um…” She lifted a finger, indicating something behind her.

Obligingly (and curious), Yui turned. At first she was unclear what had Mari looking baffled. That was until she realised that there was a tabby cat curled up on the third shelf of her bookcase.

“Did you always have a cat?” Mari eventually finished.

“No,” Yui admitted carefully, thinking.

Somehow, two weeks of friendship-slash-dating meant Mari knew her very well. She sighed heavily. “Did you just adopt a cat?”

“I think so. She’s very cute, don’t you think?”

She twisted just in time to see Mari’s fond eye roll. “Very. But maybe this time be sure it’s a girl before you name it.”

Yui just beamed at her.


End file.
